


Rhythm and Muse

by demonladys



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 22:59:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14628810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonladys/pseuds/demonladys
Summary: Yukina can't stop thinking about Lisa, but she's not sure what it means or what to do about it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> first time uploading something here. i'm a little nervous but hope people enjoy!

Penciling lyrics onto the page in front of her, Yukina crafts Roselia’s newest piece for their upcoming live show. Her pencil strokes, though not as refined as her singing, weave together characters that create syllables and song in her head.

Minato Yukina cares only for music. Practice. Dedication. The only way to achieve her dreams is by putting in the work to show she deserves it. She’s willing to dedicate herself entirely to music in order to reach the Future World Festival stage. So, she can’t let herself get distracted. As long as she devotes herself to music alone, she knows that she’ll be satisfied in the long run.

“Yukina~!”

Hearing a knock on the glass door to her balcony, Yukina slips out of her lyric-writing trance and turns to find Lisa’s face pressed against the glass. Yukina sets down her pencil and walks to the door, sliding it open to let Lisa in. “Lisa, why did you come here?”

Lisa waves her finger at Yukina. “Hey, can’t I come visit you? We’re best friends, after all.”

“I don’t see the point. You can text me if it’s important.”

“But if I want to say something and I can’t see your face, I might miss out on a smile!”

That comment catches Yukina off guard, leaving her without any cool, distant response to shut her down with.

“Anyway, I wanted to say thanks again for practice today. I think I’m improving at keeping up with Ako’s chaotic beats more consistently.”

Yukina gives a soft smile back, “You’ve done well. I’ve noticed you’re taking Roselia more seriously now. I’m thankful you’re with us.”

Lisa moves up closer to Yukina, putting her arms around Yukina’s back and giving her a gentle hug. “You know I’ll always support you. I wanted to be there up close this time.”

Yukina’s face turns warm and Lisa’s words echo in her ears. She remains silent as Lisa pulls away.

“Anyway, goodnight Yukina! Seeya tomorrow.”

“Ah… goodnight, Lisa.”

Once Lisa leaves. Yukina returns to her seat and picks up the pencil to get back to work. But no new lyrics come to mind. Instead, she’s stuck thinking about what Lisa said. She whispers to herself, “Support… up close…” She remembers all the times Lisa stood by her or talked her out of making a decision she’d regret.

She’s spacing out. Minato Yukina cares only for music. At least, that’s what she wanted to believe. Ever since Lisa joined the band as their bassist, Yukina hasn’t been able to fully concentrate. She thought it was fine; thoughts like this only popped up every once in a while. But they’ve been getting more frequent with each performance, each practice, and each sentimental moment she shares with Lisa.

“This is no good.” Yukina isn’t sure why she ends up so preoccupied thinking about Lisa. She’s thankful it hasn’t affected her performance yet, but she fears for the possibility. As the frequency increases, the fear that she’ll slip becomes greater. Frustrated by her mind’s own weakness, Yukina decides to call it a night. Lisa’s words still echo as she gets ready for bed.


	2. Chapter 2

“Minato-san, your pitch was a bit off during the pre-chorus.”

It’s unusual for Yukina to make such a glaring mistake during practice. Sayo is as meticulous as always, catching any errors the other members make. Yukina usually welcomes Sayo’s criticism, but now, she’s just embarrassed. “My apologies. Let’s try again from there.”

Once the others’ instruments pick back up, Yukina joins in. She starts off flawlessly, with just the right volume level and projection in her voice to match the rest of the band’s rhythm and melody. Something catches her throat just as she’s about to hit the last pre-chorus lyric, turning her voice off-pitch again. The band stops and Yukina shuts her eyes to take a deep breath.

Lisa chimes in, “Yukina, are you okay? This isn’t like you.”

“I’m fine, I just… Let me try again.”

Back to the pre-chorus’ start, Yukina’s voice takes off again. It crashes quicker this time when she notices Lisa’s bass supporting her in the background. It’s less humiliating this time at least, being an error with volume projection rather than pitch. But to Yukina, it feels like a failure either way. She turns back to see Rinko looking around the room nervously while Ako whispers something to her. Sayo’s expression is hard. She’s visibly annoyed at Yukina’s performance, too.

“Minato-san, your singing is quite off today.”

“Sorry. I’m not sure what’s happening. I think…” She holds her hand up to her forehead. “My head hurts a bit. Let me step out for a few minutes.”

“Fine. Everyone else, let’s continue with the chorus section.” As second-in-command, Sayo’s gotten a knack for picking up when Yukina is away. As she exits through the studio door, Yukina gives silent thanks to Sayo for taking some of the leading pressure off of herself.

Yukina sits alone at the café outside of the studio, sipping on a cup of warm honey tea. She whispers to herself, “What’s gotten into me?” She recalls the night before. After Lisa’s visit, she couldn’t think about music for long enough to write anything down. Lisa was at the front of her mind, pushing lyrics to the back. Something else has interrupted her thoughts to the point where she can’t even sing properly. She was helpless when the bass playing behind her became visible to her ears. “Lisa? But... why?” Normally if something were in the way of music, it’d be an annoyance for her. But Yukina can’t bring herself to feel any ill will toward the only friend who has stuck with her since childhood. This isn’t the first time, either. Whenever things get tough, Yukina’s thoughts always default back to Lisa.

Fifteen minutes pass as she slowly sips her tea down. Lost in thought, she’s startled to find Lisa sitting across from her at the table.

“You’ve been out here for more than a little while. Is everything okay, Yukina?”

“I’m fine. It was just a headache.”

“You sure? You were acting really weird before you left. Not just the singing, either. You’re usually way more confident around the others.”

“Mmm. Don’t worry about it. I’m fine now.” Yukina sees Lisa’s eyes close, accepting Yukina’s avoidance for now. She knows this kind of thing won’t get past Lisa, but it’d be too awkward to bring up. What could she even say? “I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately and I don’t understand.” That’s not a conversation Yukina is willing to initiate. “We should head back. I’m ready to sing again.”

Yukina heads back to the studio with Lisa. They both silently greet the rest of Roselia before taking their respective spots. Yukina tries to stand tall by the mic, but her confidence still wavers.

Practice goes on for another hour before they start packing up their instruments. While Yukina puts her microphone away, she hears Sayo address her. “Minato-san, your practice was disappointing today.”

“I know. My deepest apologies. I promise to improve next time.”

Sayo tightens the clasps on her guitar case. “It’s not about improvement. You were spaced out, even after you returned. Something is troubling you.”

“Mmm.”

“I’m not sure what’s wrong, and it’s not my business, but please. Whatever personal issue is holding you back, try to deal with it soon so we can get back to regular practice.”

Lisa shouts, “Hey! Yukina’s just having an off day, right? Don’t talk to her like tha-”

Yukina stops her, “No, Lisa, she’s right. Don’t try to make excuses for me. I’m responsible for my own failures.”

Lisa backs off. Sayo makes one last comment as she walks out the door, giving a rare glance of assurance while still holding her seemingly unsympathetic frown. “And whatever it may be, good luck, Minato-san.”

On their way out, Ako and Rinko support her, too, with a respective “You can do it, Yukina-san!” and a “Yukina-san… I’m sure... you’ll figure it out… whatever’s holding you back...”

Yukina returns the support with a restrained giggle. “Thank you both. See you.”

With her bass packed up, Lisa joins Yukina and the two head out. “Jeez, Yukina~! Can’t you tell me what’s troubling you instead of making everyone else worry?

“Um…”

“What is it?”

Yukina avoids eye contact as she tries to think of how to bring it up.

“Yukina?”

No matter how long she thinks, it all seems like an impossible puzzle.

“Yukina!”

“Huh? Oh, Lisa. Sorry. I was thinking.”

“Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

Yukina clams up.

“Yukina?!”

“I’m sorry.” She looks into Lisa’s eyes. “It’s… I can’t focus on my music anymore.” Teardrops start to fall from her eyes. Her aloof demeanor vanishes and her buried emotions rush out of her.

“Why not?” Lisa steps closer. 

Yukina feels her own heart pounding at a tempo she’s not used to. “It’s because…” It hurts too much to say. “You, Lisa… I don’t understand it!” But Yukina says it anyway. Louder, almost as loud as an onstage shout. “Why are you always there in my thoughts?! Everytime I hear that bass now… every time I see you from my room, you’re there in my head! I’m lost!”

“Y-yukina…?”

“Why? Why can I only think about you? I’m sorry… I don’t know... what’s wrong with me…”

Yukina doesn’t wipe her tears. The rest of the walk home is quiet. It’s not that rare for them, but this time there’s a somber aura surrounding Yukina. Even as she avoids looking at her, she glimpses Lisa staring in her direction. Lisa’s gaze holds back every question she might ask. “What does that mean? Do you not want me in the band?” Not that Yukina would know how to answer any of them.


	3. Chapter 3

Yukina usually tries to pay attention in class. Lisa’s on her mind again, so that’s not happening today. She keeps flashing back to Lisa’s face from the night before. The look of uncertainty was like a mirror, but not quite. Lisa’s eyes were stressed, but still had that gentle “let me help" aura inside her pupils. Yukina hates it. She hates it because she wants Lisa’s help more than anything but knows she can’t have it. It hurts to feel far away like this.

Without her best friend to rely on, Yukina considers other options. For as long as she’s tried to stand tall on her own, Lisa has always caught her when she fell. She whispers to herself, “I’ll need to think of someone else.” It feels like admitting defeat, confessing that she can only get by with an emotional crutch. But with foggy feelings like this, she’s willing to swallow her pride for now.

Yukina writes Sayo’s name in her class notebook. Sayo and Yukina are pretty similar. They have the same goals, the same practice ethic, and the same stoic-perfectionist aura. But they have the same weaknesses, too. Yukina can’t recall Sayo ever opening up to herself or the other band members, at least beyond a few vague outbursts toward Ako. They also share an attitude that personal problems should not interfere with music. She scratches the name out. That one won’t work.

She writes Ako’s name below the scratches. Ako is young and usually playing around, but when it matters most, she can be just as mature as the rest of Roselia. Still, Yukina can tell Ako is trying to find herself, so she doubts Ako would really understand this kind of problem. Scratching the name out, she writes down Rinko’s name last. While timid, Rinko is mature and observant. She sits quietly behind her keyboard most of the time during practice, but Yukina always gets a sense that she’s looking out for everyone. She might be able to empathize, but approaching Rinko with such a personal and complicated problem might scare her away. Yukina decides she’ll try to search for the answer on her own, but keeps Rinko in mind as a last resort.

After classes end for the day, she tries to recount what she actually learned today as she heads toward the school’s gate. Only faint parts of lectures pop up. She usually does her best to follow along in class, but considering she can’t even sing, this is probably to be expected. More importantly, she hasn’t seen Lisa at all since they walked to school together this morning. She wonders if yesterday scared her off, or if she’s just as stressed, or-

“Oof!”

Yukina feels someone bump into her. No, she bumped into them while she was spaced out. When she turns to see who she hit, she’s met by her rival’s respectful-yet-begrudging glare and her familiar red hair-streak. “Tch.” Ran was probably the last person she wanted to see right now.

Yukina bows her head. “My apologies, Mitake-san. I wasn’t watching my surroundings.”

Ran’s glare drops as Yukina raises her head. “Minato-san. Something up?”

“Huh? No… I’m fine.”

“If you keep talking like that, it’ll just get worse and worse. Or… I think that’s what Tomoe would say.” Ran motions her arm back toward the school. “Follow me. Let’s talk.”

***

With her hands planted on the guard railing, Yukina looks out at the city beneath the clear sky. The buildings are like a crowd before a concert, still and quiet yet alive inside. She doesn’t come up to the school’s roof very often, so sights like this are new and fresh to her.

In the corner of her eyes, she sees Ran leaning onto the railing with her arms crossed against it. “This is where I go when I’m stressed out.”

“I can see why,” Yukina replies. “It’s calming to see everything from afar. I feel as if I left my worries back on the ground. I can just enjoy that distance for now.”

“...Yeah. Something like that.” Ran’s face turns to Yukina. “So, what are those worries?”

Yukina tries to recall everything that’s happened with Lisa. “I still don’t really know myself.” She pauses, then continues, “Mitake-san. If there’s something preoccupying your mind, and you can’t focus on anything, not even things you normally would... what would you do?”

Ran lets out a bittersweet laugh. “When that happens, I usually just run away from everything.” She looks down at the city. “It’s usually someone else who pulls me back and gets me to face my problems.”

Run away. It strikes like Yukina like a drumstick against a cymbal. She’s running away again, she realizes. From the one person always with her, the girl who would chase her to the farthest skies just to see her smile. She can’t outrun Lisa. But this time, Lisa might not pull her back.

Yukina hears a door open in the distance behind her. A sleepy voice calls out, “Ran~! Come on, we gotta get to practice~.” Yukina looks back. Though she doesn’t know Moca very well, it’s hard for her to forget someone who speaks with such a carefree tone.

Ran answers, “I’ll be finished soon. Just head on without me, I’ll catch up.”

Moca seemingly just now notices Yukina. “Oh, Minato-san’s here~. Lisa-san has been worried about you.”

It stings to hear, even worse when it’s from someone she barely knows. “Mm, I know…” She puts her hand on her chin to think for a second. “Aoba-san, may I ask a question?”

Moca places her finger below her lip. “A question for Moca-chan~? Go ahead~.”

Yukina hesitates. “If there's something stuck on your mind that's stopping you from focusing on anything else, what would you do?”

“Oh~?” Moca’s curious look turns into a playful smirk. She crosses her arms. “Minato-san, could it be…?”

“Huh?”

“Lisa-san talks about you a lot at work.”

Yukina’s face heats up and her heart beats at that odd tempo. “S-she does?” Hearing Moca bring up Lisa like this makes her uneasy.

“All the time. Ehehe… I should’ve known you two were like that, too~.”

“Huh? Like what?” Yukina has a hard time following what Moca says, but her face refuses to cool down.

“Do I have to spell it out? It’s love~.”

“Love…?”

Moca steps close to Ran and places her arms around her, pressing her torso onto her side. “Ran-chan, let’s help her.”

Ran’s face reddens. She tries to turn away and hide it. “M-moca! Get off of me! Not here!”

Moca clings to her. “Aww, come on, Ran-chan~. Don’t be so embarrassed~. You love Moca-chan, don’t you~?”

“Tch!”

Yukina listens as her own face keeps getting hotter and her head gets even more jumbled. She looks all over the place in front of her for some kind of explanation, but just finds herself more lost than before. She watches Ran’s cheeks fill with deep blush, which she imagines how her face looks right now, too.

Moca places one hand on Ran’s chin. “Look at me, Ran-chan~.” She pulls Ran’s face toward her and slides her other hand toward Ran’s waist.

“F-fine.” Cornered between the guard rail and Moca’s advances, Ran is left with no escape. She accepts her fate, though clearly reluctant about it.

Yukina watches as Moca brings her lips into Ran’s, still holding onto her chin. Their lips lock together for more than a few seconds. Yukina clearly hears a restrained “mmm” from Ran, who’s still unsuccessful in trying to push Moca off. Yukina’s face might burst from the burning sensation in her cheeks. She feels like she should look away, but that’d be even more embarrassing. In front of her, the two girls’ lips make a “chu” sound when Moca finally pulls away.

Ran’s blushing is worse than it was before the kiss. She breaks free from Moca and pushes her away lightly. She dashes toward the door leading back inside, but stops before entering. She points directly at Yukina and yells, “Minato-san! Forget what you saw!”

Moca addresses Yukina, “Isn’t Ran cute~?”

Yukina is a silent flame, too embarrassed to even process the question.

“Ran and I are childhood friends. But we’re lovers, too~. Don’t tell anyone, though.” Moca smirks again. “Ran is my girlfriend. Keep this a secret for Moca-chan~.”

“Lovers...” Until now, Yukina only understood ‘love’ in terms of passion and drive. She loves music, so she dedicates herself to it. That’s ‘love,’ to her. But ‘love’ can be something else. Not love of music, but love of a person. A person you care for more than anyone. That’s what it’s like for Ran and Moca, right? So, does that mean it’s the same for her and Lisa?

“I bet it’s the same for you, too. You just haven’t realized it yet.” Moca lets out a playful laugh and starts walking back to the door herself. As she walks away, she says, “Just imagine yourself doing that with Lisa-san~. If you like it, then it’s love.”

“H-huh!?” Just as Yukina felt her face cooling down, it lights up again. The scene plays out in her mind, with herself in Ran’s place and Lisa in Moca’s. _“Yukina~! Look at me!”_ she imagines Lisa saying, clinging onto Yukina’s waist and rubbing her face against her shoulder like a cat. Her imaginary self resists, but eventually gives into Lisa’s demands for affection. When she thinks about Lisa’s lips pressing against her own, she can’t handle the embarrassment and covers her face, despite being alone in reality. She wonders if Lisa’s lips might taste like her delicious cookies, sweet and heart-capturing.

A moment of desire. Love. It’s embarrassing. It almost feels wrong, like it’s not meant to be and she shouldn’t want this. But to her heart, it’s not wrong. It feels right, like a puzzle piece locking into another. It feels right, for the first time since the bassist joined Roselia. It seems right, Lisa’s lips locking onto her own. Her heart thumps in her chest at that strange tempo again. Buried beneath her burning face, Yukina wants Lisa more than anything.


	4. Chapter 4

The day after watching the kiss, Yukina double-checks a text draft before hitting send to the group chat. “Can’t make practice today. Something urgent came up.” She hates missing practice, especially since it might read as losing her dedication. Just this once should be okay, though. It really is urgent.

There are two things Minato Yukina truly cares about. For even longer than she has cared about music, Lisa has followed her and stood beside her through anything. That unwavering support and undying faith scares her. What if she ends up getting hurt? But there’s no use worrying about it, she knows Lisa wouldn’t stop either way.

At the end of the day, Yukina approaches Lisa, who is sitting in the classroom gathering her notebook. Lisa’s eyes seem to avoid her as she approaches. “Lisa, could you come with me?”

Lisa fidgets with her fingers. “Yukina? I thought… didn’t you have something urgent?”

Smiling a little, Yukina replies, “I want you to be with me for it.”

“Oh, sure. But why?”

Yukina laughs softly, “Because having you around helps me feel more relaxed.”

Lisa’s cheeks turn rosy. “H-huh?!” Her eyes are all over the place as her fidgeting gets more rapid and wobbly. Yukina knows by now that her own rare emotional honesty can be Lisa’s biggest weakness.

“Lisa, will you please join me?” She reaches her hand out to Lisa, who moves her hand cautiously. Yukina is surprised that her own face has managed to stay cool. She feels Lisa’s palm, warm and shaky, gripping her wrist as Lisa lifts herself up from the chair.

***

The park by the school is surprisingly empty today. Yukina walks alongside a cluster of tall, trees separating the park from the sidewalk, sunlight peeking through the branches. She can hear Lisa’s footsteps ruffle through the grass behind her. Yukina is always calm before a big performance. It’s everything leading up to it that’s stressful. She couldn’t sleep the night before because she was rehearsing the whole day in her head, making sure she knew exactly what to say for the big moment. But here and now, she’s calm.

Lisa’s footsteps increase in speed as she tries not to fall too far behind. “Yukina, where are we going?”

Yukina glances around, looking back and forth, making sure nobody else is watching. As she confirms that the quiet miniature forest will give her privacy, she turns toward Lisa. “Right here.”

“Wait, what’s urgent here? Are you meeting someone?” Lisa’s face jolts around nervously.

Yukina walks closer to Lisa, so close that she’s almost directly in her face. “I’m meeting you. And yes, it’s urgent.” She closes her eye, rehearses one last time for a few seconds, then reopens them. She feels Lisa shaking slightly right in front of her. “Lisa, I appreciate you. All you’ve done for me, staying by me through anything, no matter what. Thank you.”

Lisa’s face lights up and she recoils in shock. “Yukina?! Is that what this was about? To… thank me? And that stuff the other day?” She’s flustered, fidgeting around again. “Jeez, Yukina, you didn’t have to go out of your way like this… Besides, isn’t that what best friends are for?”

“No, that’s not all.”

“Then… what?”

She closes her eyes again, and her heart’s beating picks up again. Reopening her eyes, she looks directly into Lisa’s. “Lisa. I love you.”

“...Huh?”

“You said we were best friends. I don’t want that. Whenever I think about you, my heartbeat is off rhythm and my mind sings off-key.” The warmth enters her cheeks like before. “I don’t want to be best friends. I want you to be by my side forever. I want to feel your kindness pushing me forward. I want you with me as more than just support, more than just my best friend. I want… what did Aoba-san call it? Lovers? Girlfriends? I want to be… girlfriends, with you, Lisa.”

Lisa’s face is bright, like sunlight reflected off the moon. She’s looks like she might burst. She shouts, in the most flustered tone Yukina’s ever heard, “YU~KI~NA~!” It must have startled a bird. Yukina hears rapid flapping wings from the trees, fading out in an instant. “Yukina! You can’t… you can’t just throw all that at me at once! It’s not fair…”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” She stares at Lisa, who’s try to recollect herself. “You don’t have to answer me right now.”

“No!”

“Lisa?”

The red in Lisa’s cheeks begins to clear. “I’ve thought about it before. If that’s how I felt. Why I wanted to be at your side forever and why I’d never give up on you. Why I was so determined to see your smile again. It only makes sense that it’s love, right?”

The warmth fills Yukina’s face as she processes Lisa’s feelings.

“So,” Lisa steps up to Yukina and wraps her arms around her. “I want to be your girlfriend, Yukina.”

Yukina can make out Lisa’s faint sobs. She wraps her own arms around Lisa. They press their faces together and Yukina feels Lisa’s teary cheek against her skin. “I love you, Lisa.” Time feels like nothing, all that matters is this moment for Yukina and Lisa to share. Yukina’s heart is like a sponge, Lisa’s embrace squeezes her worries away. All that exists beyond them is the wind, which blows Lisa’s hair into Yukina’s other cheek. It brushes against her with a gentle touch.

_“Imagine yourself doing that with Lisa-san~.”_

Yukina remembers Moca’s advice as Lisa’s skin, soft and calming, pushes against her. She pulls her face away a bit, tilting her head toward Lisa’s and locking eyes with her again. Lisa leans in. She wants it, too. Yukina has to push herself up with the front of her feet a little to make her lips even with Lisa’s. Her heart beats faster, faster. Her lips push gently onto Lisa’s, who pushes back with the same force. As their lips join together, Yukina fills with a momentary sensation of wholeness. _“This is right,”_ she thinks to herself. _“This is right.”_

“Mmm.” Lisa’s arms tighten around Yukina, her hands brush lightly on the back of her shirt. Their lips part, making a quiet little ‘chu’ sound. Their first kiss.

“This is right.”

***

Yukina holds tightly onto Lisa’s left hand, watching her girlfriend send a text with the other hand. It’s to the Roselia group chat, saying, “Sorry I’m late! Found Yukina, we’re on our way!”

“I figured you wouldn’t want to miss practice, right?”

“Right. Especially…”

“Hm?”

She leans toward Lisa’s arm. She can feel the red return to her face as she says it. “Especially since you’ll be there, Lisa.”

“Y-yukina!”

As they set off for CiRCLE, Yukina enjoys listening to Lisa’s footsteps on the grass. She hums a new tune. Lisa lets go of her hand and begins to run them through Yukina’s hair as they walk alongside each other. Overcome with affection, the lyrics start to flow through Yukina’s heart. She lets them out with the kindest voice she can sing, “I'll accept everything, even tearful nights, and believe.”

“Is that the song you were working on the other night?”

“Just a little bit of it. I’ve been stuck on where to go with it.” Yukina softly giggles and looks at Lisa, who glows like a camellia in the dusk sun. “But I know where to find inspiration.”


End file.
